For the most part, favorites ruled the day at UFC 119.
In the headliner, all of the money movement the week leading up to the fight was on Frank Mir. Shaking of two lack luster rounds, Mir caught Mirko “Cro Crop” Filipovic with a knee and then knockout with :58 seconds remaining in the fight. We liked Mir at -220, and still liked him even as the line climbed as high as -280. But, we’ll admit, this one was closer than we thought it’d be.
The co-headliner had undefeated Ryan Bader winning a decision against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via decision (30-27). Similarly, the money movement on this fight was on Bader, as most lines shifted from -160 to -175/-180 by the opening bell.
Oddsmakers had Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle pretty evenly matched, and rightfully so, as this one was determined via decision as well, with Lytle avenging his 2006 loss (30-27 on judges scorecards).
The one dog who pulled through did so on a controversial decision. Previously unbeaten Evan Dunham was listed as a -240 favorite pre-fight. While many (including the crowd) felt like Dunham won the second and third rounds, Sean Sherk pulled through with a 29-28 victory on two of the judge’s scorecards.
Look for a slew of new MMA Fix videos in the coming two days and UFC 120 early lines early this week.